Scales don't lie: people in the south are NOT the fattest in the country ...and apparently they're more truthful too

With some of America's tastiest, yet unhealthiest food, it's no wonder that for years, many have deemed people from the South to be amongst the fattest in the nation.
Whether its because so much of the food is fried or simply because access to healthy food and vegetables is hard to come by, or because southerners don't do much exercise - the stereotype seems to have stuck.
But a new study from the University of Alabama in Birmingham says that the South is not as fat as the rest of the world would have us believe.

Epidemic: Rising levels of obesity is a major problem sweeping the United States

The journal Obesity, says that there’s a higher concentration of obese people in the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Kansas and North and South Dakota.
The northern region of the country appears to have about 41 per cent obesity compared to 31 per cent in the southern states of Alabama and Mississippi.

 

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Just two years ago, the Center for Disease control claimed the two states were the fattest in the USA.
Southerners definitely enjoy their fried chicken (not to mention fried steak, fried onions, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and fried corn bread) but the northerners of states like Wisconsin and Illinois enjoy their fried cheese curds and deep dish pizzas.

I'll have fries with that: Or maybe just fries on their own? The southern states are notorious for the unhealthy eating habits

Shocking: There are now 12 states where obesity levels are at 30 per cent or more

The region famous for its biscuits, barbecue and pecan pies has been struggling with its weight for years.
So what are the reasons for this gut-busting turnaround? The journal believes that truth-telling has something to do with it.
The Obesity journal believes those who took part in the CDC telephone survey in the South were simply more honest about their weight than those in the North.
The University of Alabama conducted their survey in-person using actual recorded weights.

Change in the numbers: Mississippi and Alabama found their obesity rate fall from 41 per cent to 31 per cent

Big statement: The report by the University of Alabama found that southerners were less likely to lie about their weight when asked over the telephone

They found the results to less than a similar survey which was carried out by the CDC over the phone.
The UAB report suggests the results gathered by telephone may have been inaccurate with participants lying about the digits on their bathroom scales.
In this latest survey, Mississippi was fourth and Alabama was in the middle of the pack.

Truth be told: A study to measure obesity found that people who were asked their weight over the phone lied more if they were from the northern USA.

George Howard, professor in the Department of Biostatics at UAB explained to Al.com his theory on why the results are so different.

'My speculation is that people in the South are telling the truth more. Perhaps there is not as much stigma connected to obesity as say someone in California, or in this case, Minnesota.
The numbers shows the wide discrepancy between what people say on the telephone and the physical evidence of actually getting weighed. Everybody under-reports their weight but women do it more whereas men over-report their height, which makes them seem less obese.'